


Nothing but Gold

by Gondolin



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anakin Skywalker Doesn't Turn to the Dark Side, Blanket Permission, Empress Padmé Amidala, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Happy Ending, Intrigue, POV Alternating, Podfic Welcome, Politics, divergence from the end of Alliances, fic is too short for a true Slow Burn tag but the characters are Suffering, said plans fold like wet flimsi, sort of slow burn, the author throws a Thrawn-shaped wrench into Palpatine's plans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-25 06:00:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21631255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gondolin/pseuds/Gondolin
Summary: When Anakin is taken prisoner by the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet, Thrawn offers an unlikely solution to bring him back, getting unexpectedly close to Padmé in the process.
Relationships: Padmé Amidala/Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo
Comments: 19
Kudos: 63
Collections: Star Wars Rare Pairs Exchange 2019





	Nothing but Gold

**Author's Note:**

  * For [politicalmamaduck](https://archiveofourown.org/users/politicalmamaduck/gifts).



> [This](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7iakp9VNpm4VIiBily0Jmp) is the playlist I had on while plotting/writing.
> 
> Infinite thanks to reena-jenkins for listening to me trying to make sense of this idea and suggesting the ending (also for making me discover the song Empire by Alpines).
> 
> This was so much fun to write, and this pairing is still so tiny so I'm extra excited to make more Thrawn/Padmé happen. I hope you like it, politicalmamaduck!

_ Now _

  
  


#####  **[ Coruscant ] Coronation**

The headdress wasn’t heavier than those she’d worn as a Queen, but the responsibility on her shoulders was now infinitely more vast. 

In the small vestibule outside of the newly built throne room, Padmé presented herself for inspection. Once Sabé was satisfied that her facepaint, hair and clothes were flawless, she nodded once, then gave Padmé a small encouraging smile. This was the last moment of calm before making history.

Padmé nodded to Sabé, the red and gold threads on the sides of her face shifting slightly and making a sound like a wind chime. 

“Are you ready?” a deep, melodious voice asked from behind her. 

Padmé’s lips twitched up, but she forced her expression back into the neutral mask of a monarch. “I am.”

She turned to face the person that had put all of this in motion. 

_ Then _

#####  **[ Mokivj ] Prisoners**

“You and the Ambassador would get along like a house on fire,” Anakin grumbled. 

Thrawn frowned. “That does not seem like a good thing.” 

“It’s a saying,” Anakin shrugged, “It probably doesn’t translate well to Meese Caulf. You’re both very resourceful, and…” he trailed off, giving Thrawn the distinct impression that he was holding back something less than flattering. 

It couldn’t be too bad, though, as General Skywalker clearly held the Ambassador in high esteem, and likely felt some sort of personal affection towards her.

“You’ll see, hopefully you’ll meet her soon,” he continued, and even though Thrawn could not see Skywalker’s expression with the cell wall between them, he could detect a smile in his voice.

Thrawn had become curious to meet the person who inspired such loyalty in a man such as General Skywalker. 

He was not disappointed. As it turned out, the Ambassador was less in need of rescue than they were, and she took their situation and Thrawn’s presence in stride. It was clearly not her first time facing action, rather than a more straightforward diplomatic mission. She looked young, though it was always hard to tell with human’s smooth faces, so it meant that she had started very young. For a moment, Thrawn wondered how young, if she had also given up her childhood for her people like the ozyly-esehembo did, but he soon set that aside to focus on their current situation.

They recovered General Skywalker’s lightsaber, and he managed to get the shield generator he’d been after. The Amabassador’s disappointment at his leaving seemed at odds with her long experience in politics. Did she always expect the best of people? 

And maybe he would have gone back for the two humans anyway, since he felt it was the honourable thing to do after Skywalker had helped him. But it was Amidala’s piercing stare that pulled him back like a gravity well.

Unfortunately, going back to help meant stretching his schedule even further. He had already missed one check-in, and he was due to head back to Csilla soon, but surely, he could- 

Something startled Anakin into nearly dropping the explosives. He swivelled around, bomb clutched in one hand and lightsaber ignited in the other, ready to strike down the interloper. 

Except that Anakin’s gaze had to drop lower and lower, until he met the bright red eyes of a child. A Chiss child. 

A shiver of fear ran through Thrawn. Su’vee, his navigator was inexperienced, but he didn’t think she would be so brash as to wander off without a direct order.

Anakin turned towards Thrawn, eyes widened in disbelief, lightsaber still pointed towards her. He took in her flightsuit, and the clear similarities that marked her as being from his species.

“Don’t tell me this was your pilot.” 

“She is.” 

Just as Anakin was powering down his lightsaber, a voice called out in Cheunh. A voice that was very, very familiar to Thrawn.

He startled. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Padmé turning towards him, mouth slightly open in surprise. In the brief time they’d known one another, he hadn’t let himself be caught off guard. Yet. 

But as Thrass approached them, a blaster in hand pointed directly at Anakin, Thrawn found himself floundering for a moment as he tried to calculate all possible outcomes of the situation.

“Don’t shoot!”

“He raised his weapon against an ozyly-esehembo,” Thrass replied, mouth twisted in anger, “I should-

“He didn’t touch me,” Su’vee intervened, “I came here because I felt something was going to go wrong, and I startled him. He is…” she frowned, “He feels like one of my sister navigators. Does he have third sight?” she asked Thrawn.

This at least caught Thrass’ attention.

“He’s a Jedi,” Thrawn told his brother and his navigator, “It’s similar.”

But Thrass still wasn’t lowering his blaster. General Skywalker was quick, and he had his saber still in his hand, but a shot a such a close range could be dangerous.

If only they had more time… but the place was about to blow, and Thrass didn’t look convinced. 

The Ambassador was still holding her blaster, and she was the closest to Thrawn. Taking advantage of a split instant of distraction as Thrass seized up the Jedi, Thrawn took a step back and grabbed Padmé’s hand, turning the blaster against himself.

“Play along,” he whispered in her ear.

The blaster was now aiming right at his neck. He could feel her adjust her grip, rigid finger a hairwidth away from the trigger, muscles tense to the point of shaking.

“I am your hostage,” he continued “You will negotiate for the release of your Jedi Knight.” 

“You aren’t- Oh,” she frowned, schooling her expression into a that of someone who would take hostages, but said softly, “Thank you.” 

#####  **[ en route to Coruscant ] Alliance**

They barely made it out in time, all five of them. Fortunately, the workers had already evacuated the area, but it still left a bitter taste in Padmé’s mouth, to leave all that destruction behind.

The Chiss ship disappeared into hyperspace just outside the planet, while the stolen freighter Thrawn and Padmé were in stayed in orbit while she calculated the best route to put them on their way back towards Republic space.

“Why did he attack Anakin?” she asked as soon as they were off, turning her chairs so she could face Thrawn.

“General Skywalker raised a weapon on a navigator. In the Ascendancy, hurting one of them is a crime punishable by death.” 

“But he didn’t do anything! He was just startled by a kid sneaking on him in an active war zone!” 

Thrawn pressed his lips together. “It’s not me you have to convince.” 

“Can’t we just follow them and rescue Anakin ourselves?” she asked. 

“If we get caught doing that, we’ll only get in trouble ourselves and you won’t even be able to send world back to your Republic of what happened to either of you.” 

With a pang of guilt, she thought about her parents, and Riyo, and Sabé and everyone she knew never knowing what had happened to her, and about Obi-Wan never hearing back from Anakin again. She thought about going in blind into a fight, or going back and doing what she did best: negotiating. Thrawn’s plan had merit. The only problem was her own impatience in knowing Anakin to be in the hands of a people she didn’t even know existed until the previous day. 

The solution to her disquiet was to learn more.

“Why did you do that?” Padmé asked, “Why did you help me against your own people?”

“That was not against… Thrass would have made a mistake, if he’d shot General Skywalker. I was protecting us all.”

“But why offer yourself as hostage?”

“It was expedient.”

“And dangerous. You don’t know me well enough to trust me with a blaster pointed at your head.”

“Oh, but I do. I have observed you during our flight from captivity, and I have found you to be honourable and not prone to needless cruelty. And General Skywalker speaks very highly of you.”

Padmé wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that. Nor was she sure she believed all of it. “And there is no personal gain for you in helping me?”

“I never said there wasn’t.”

Frustration bubbled up in her as she tried to figure him out. Thrawn seemed perfectly calm and in control, despite being bound for a part of the galaxy where he’d never been before, inhabited by peoples whose languages, for the most part, he didn’t speak. And that’s when it hit her. Maybe he wanted to go to Coruscant. For whatever reason, he wanted a way into the heart of the Republic. And she’d just given him one. 

But what could he possibly want that he couldn’t obtain by simply travelling to Republic space? After all, he had helped her and Anakin so far, even though he’d been on a different mission. She had no reason to mistrust him… but she had no reason to trust him either. She decided to let that thought lie for the moment. It would do to keep an eye on him once they reached Coruscant.

“So what will we have to say in order to get your people to release An- General Skywalker back to us?”

“You could start by telling me why you’re trying to hide your friendship with the General. Is there a reason you are so secretive?”

A familiar sadness tightened in Padmé’s chest. She busied herself with checking their coordinates again, then turned her chair around to face Thrawn directly. “What do you know about the Jedi?”

“Tales of their exploits have reached even the Ascendancy. I always believed them to be exaggerated, but after meeting the General, I have to say they were understated instead.”

She had to smile at that. “They are quite impressive, aren’t they?”

“Indeed.”

“They follow very strict rules, which includes renouncing attachments.”

“So they are not allowed friends?”

“That’s not… not exactly,” she sighed, frustrated.

“There is something else between you, then, some bond... family, maybe?”

It was only a lifetime in politics that saved Padmé from gasping out loud, but her eyes widened nonetheless. 

“I have no reasons to reveal your secrets, nor anyone to reveal them to, but I need to know what kind of situation I’m walking into.”

“Yes, it’s family, in a way,” she responded, and left it at that. She couldn’t tell him about Shmi, about how she’d sent for her after Anakin had saved her planet from the Trade Federation blockade, and how she had helped her settle on Naboo and was keeping the two of them in contact. She was sure Obi-Wan at least suspected, but there was no need to risk word of this ever making it out. Keeping their relationship strictly professional was a way to keep attention off themselves.

“What will happen to Anakin in the meantime?” she asked instead.

“Nothing, they won’t harm him.”

Padmé wanted to ask him if he was sure, she wanted reassurance on how Anakin would be treated, but there was no use in asking those questions now. 

Almost as if he’d read her mind, Thrawn reassured her. “General Skywalker won’t be harmed. My brother will make sure he is treated well, so he can negotiate to get me back.”

#####  **[ Coruscant ] Suspicion**

Padmé sent in a holo to Coruscant as soon as they were once more within comms range. First, she informed Tekla and a very anxious Threepio of her imminent return, then patched herself through to the Chancellor’s office. Palpatine himself wasn’t in, but she left word of her return with grave news. She didn’t trust a non-secure comm channel with any more details than that. And besides, there were suspectes - nothing but unsubstantiated voices, yet - about a leak in the Chancellor’s office. Who knew who might hear her message before Palpatine did.

Finally, she left a message for Obi-Wan to inform him that Anakin was not coming back with her, but that he was, to the best of her knowledge, safe.

They entered hyperspace again for the last leg of their journey, and returned to realspace in the vicinity of Coruscant. New security measures prevented crafts from getting too close to the planet anymore, so getting down and landing took some time. This gave her time to check her incoming messages.

“My dear Padmé!” started the first holo, from the Chancellor, “I am so relieved to see that you are safe. Please, come to my office immediately so that we can discuss your news.”

“Who is that?” Thrawn asked, quite brusquely, even for his standards. Padmé had yet to understand if that was a Thrawn thing, a Chiss thing or simply that the more subtle niceties tended to get lost in translation.

“Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. He used to be the Senator for Naboo, my home planet, and somewhat of a mentor for me…” she trailed off, unsure of her own explaination for some reason.

“And what does he tell you?”

As Padmé translated the Basic for him, his lips compressed into a thin line, but he made no further comment.

In fact, he remained silent all the way through the landing process.

As they made their way into the Senate, Padmé could see him eyeing the Clones suspiciously. She guessed he was thinking about the factory in Mokivj and the armours he’d seen there.

No one questioned them until right before the Chancellor’s office. 

“Who is he?” one of the guards asked, tilting his helmet in the direction of Thrawn.

“He’s with me.”

“Does he have ID?”

She started to protest.

“What is happening?” Palpatine’s voice came from inside, right before the doors opened.

“Chancellor. We have important information for you.”

Palpatine smiled gently at the guards. “Let them through. I’m sure Senator Amidala has a perfectly good explanation for the unexpected guest.”

“Thank you, Chancellor,” she said.

Padmé had expected at least a representative from the Jedi Council to be brought in, but Palpatine’s office was empty except for the three of them. 

Part of diplomacy was knowing when to be direct, and in this case, there was no working around the issue. “It’s about General Skywalker. He’s been captured.”

Palpatine looked genuinely horrified. He truly cared for Anakin, she thought, he worried for him every time he was out in the field.

“When did this happen? Why was I not informed through the official channels?”

“It was not on a Republic-sanctioned mission,” Padmé admitted, still holding her head high, “He came to my rescue, and there was a small incident with… Where are my manners? This is Mitth’raw’nuruodo. He doesn’t speak Basic, so I will be translating,” she turned towards Thrawn, and gave him a brief summary of what she’d said until then, and introduced Palpatine.

A strange expression passed over Palpatine’s face. He cocked his head. “So is Anakin in Separatists hands, then?”

“No,” Padmé replied, turning towards Thrawn, “His people have him.”

The Chancellor’s gaze turned on Thrawn, as Senator Amidala translated for him.

“They have him due to a misunderstanding,” he reminded her, which she repeated in Basic.

“I am sure we can negotiate, then, expecially thanks to Mitth’raw’nuruodo’s heroic gesture,” his eyes were piercing as he looked at the Chiss, as if trying to read his very soul, and Padmé found herself slightly unnerved. “It would be better if you did not reveal this… predicament to anyone. No need to, ah, no need to involve the Jedi, since Anakin was not on a sanctioned mission, is there? We don’t want to get him in trouble,” he concluded, smiling kindly.

While it was a generous thought, it didn’t sit well with Padmé. Surely, the Jedi would want to know that one of their own was missing, whatever the reason. And they might ultimately be useful in getting Anakin back, if something went wrong. Still, she acquiesced. 

She noticed Thrawn’s deep focus and his meditative silence, interrupted only when nudged for information. 

He was observing.

Padmé had held herself with great dignity, but despite missing the crucial element of language, Thrawn could see the familiarity between her and the Chancellor. Familiarity, but not quite ease. There was a distance between them, one that the older human kept trying to close, while Padmé kept her attitude more professional.

This was not the only thing that made Thrawn wonder. While the other two spoke Basic, he took the time to observe the room around them, and the more they remained there, the more he grew convinced that they were all in grave danger.

As soon as they left Palpatine’s office, Thrawn asked, “How commonly spoken is Meese Caulf?”

“Here in the Senate?” Padmé scoffed, “Not much, I doubt most Senators would trouble themselves with a trade language.”

“Not much is still not enough. Is there a secure place where we can talk?”

She startled. What was he playing at? In their brief time together, she had learned that Thrawn didn’t ask idle questions, and always had a motive for his actions. She had also learned that he had the unfortunate tendency to be right. He had even guessed Anakin’s intention to destroy the factory and mine before she did.

“My apartments,” she said, tensing, “They’re not far from here.”

He followed her to one of the smaller docking station, where they left on a covered airspeeder, trying not to attract too much attention.

The first thing she did once they reached her house was to ask Threepio to turn himself off for the night. Then she sweeped for bugs. This level of paranoia was a new development, but there had been enough infomation leaks and unforeseen attacks even on Coruscant itself, she felt it was warranted.

“What is it?”

“The armour your soldiers wear. It’s the same as what we saw in the Separatist factory.”

Padmé frowned. “That was the point.”

He paused, looking for the right words. It was difficult, neither of them able to speak their first language, even tired as they both were. “No, it was… the one in Mokivj wasn’t an imitation, however good. It was the exact same make. Like they came from the same foundry.”

Although her first instinct was to protest, Padmé stopped to consider that. Copying the Clone armour design could not be too hard. They were the public face of the war, on every propaganda holo, on both the Republic and CIS side, and plenty of pieces had to be lost on battlefields every day. But the armour was manufactured in secure locations together with all weapons and GAR materials, and the production details were considered military secrets.

Still, it was preposterous that he could know that at a glance, when not even Anakin had noticed… But Anakin had been angry and distressed, and while she knew him to be clever and gifted with machinery and technology, he had not been thinking straight back on Mokivj. Anger had always been his weakness.

“And what about the Chancellor?” Thrawn pressed on, “Do you trust him?”

“Trust him? What kind of question is this. He is… are you trying to get me to commit treason?”

“I did not know talking freely could be counted as treason in this Republic of yours. It is not so among my people.”

Padmé gaped at him.

“You do not trust him, either. You are too smart not to realise how much this war benefits him.”

“Benefits? No, he… he hates seeing his people suffer because of this war!”

“Can you be sure? Or does he play at compassion?”

Padmé started pacing the length of her living room. Thrawn’s questions, even his presence turned the familiar contours of her home into something new and unfamiliar. Coruscant’s traffic noises and lights were reflected in his bright red eyes, chasing shadows across his face, but his expression remained stony, gaze pointed towards her, waiting for a response.

Padmé swallowed.

“No one with that much power is innocent,” Thrawn declared, “Not even you, Senator.” 

All the broken promises, all the compromises made since the beginning of the war came crashing down on Padmé. Her ideals, getting chipped away every single day, with each horror she couldn’t prevent. 

“You are right,” she looked up, “We made many mistakes in this war. But we were attacked first, and the Chancellor is only trying to keep the Republic together.” 

“Together, and under his control. Fear is very powerful. Please, listen to me. Unless you translated wrong, and I don’t think you did, your Chancellor already knew that General Skywalker was not with in Separatist hands. How could he know?”

“They would have killed him, if they had him. You don’t know General Grievous.”

“It is possible,” he conceded, “But I do not believe it. And ther is another element.”

Padmé stopped pacing. She thought she was ready for whatever he could throw at her, whatever new thread of suspicion he tried to pull at. Yes, Palpatine was accumulating more power than any one Chancellor before him, but this did not mean he was in bad faith. And how could he be? The Republic had been attacked by the CIS, not the other way around. Even if it could be argued he was gaining from the war… She had to remain calm. Thrawn was a stranger who knew very little of the war or of this part of the galaxy at all, nothing he could say could truly damage her trust in the foundations of the Republic.

“My people will not negotiate with a darksider.”

Padmé’s thoughts skitted to a halt. “A what?” she repeated, the pitch of her voice higher than normal.

“He is not what he appears. He is…” Thrawn pronounced a word she’d never heard before, and which she suspected wasn’t Meese Caulf, “Someone who has third sight, like your Jedi do, but who is…” he said something that could be “obscure” or “dark” though Padmé wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

_ Is he talking about the Sith? _ , she asked herself, heart almost beating out of her chest. She knew of them, though Master Yoda and Master Kenobi had personally asked her to keep that knowledge to herself. They didn’t want it known that the ancestral enemies of the Jedi were back, nor their weakness exposed, after a Sith had killed Master Jinn many years before.

But what could that possibly have to do with Palpatine? He was a politician, not a Force user. A good, kind man, stumbled into too much power.

Or at least that was the official version. She knew him to be smarter than he often looked, less of a fumbling grandpa and more of a competent ruler. But this did not mean…

“My brother will do all he can to get me back, but there are lines he will not cross even for me. And even setting aside Anakin Skywalker and me, you need to be aware of who is ruling your Republic. You cannot lead people if you yourself are blind to those who lead you.”

“Who gives you the right to come here and start with this… this poison? How would you know all this? What are you, a Separatist spy? Why are you doing this?” Padmé knew her voice had risen, her feelings spilling into her speech, but all those accusations were too much.

She had walked up to Thrawn, spitting qestions right in his face, though she was forced to look up to stare at him. He was impassive.

Almost impassive. A corner of his mouth was turned down, his eyes were no longer blazing, and he looked almost sad. Tired. 

It was that expression that stopped Padmé’s invective.

She almost fell on the sofa in an ungraceful heap, feeling drained. Anger had blazed through her for a moment, but the truth was that she had stopped trusting Palpatine long before Thrawn had started slinging accusations. The Delegation of 2000 was already holding meetings to discuss the transition of powers after the end of the war, while other factions were branding them traitors for that. It was the accuracy of the accusations that scared her.

“So what do you propose? Who will you people negotiate with?”

“A leader who is not a danger.”

“That’s not very helpful.”

“They would negotiate with you.”

“I’m just a Senator.”

“So was Palpatine not long ago, if what you tell me is correct.” 

“What are you implying, Thrawn?”

“You need to be very careful. A vacuum of power can cause as much damage as a bad leader, especially during a conflict.”

Slowly, telegraphing his movements, Thrawn sat down beside her. Padmé still had her face in her hands. She didn’t normally let anyone see her so unsettled, but there was something about Thrawn that made her want to trust him. He was blunt and to the point like most people in her life weren’t. But she couldn’t fully trust him yet. 

Proof. She needed proof of what he was saying, from sources he could not possibly have tampered with. 

Any kind of investigation on Coruscant would undoubtedly attract too much attention, but there was something they could do.

She proposed her idea to Thrawn, then realised just how tired she was. She took him to the guest room, and offered him a change of clothes - captain Panaka and some of the guards were in the habit of leaving civilian clothes at her place in case they needed to change inconspicuously. It would be better if Thrawn didn’t go around wearing a military uniform unknown in the core worlds.

As she walked back to her own room, she reflected on the fact that she was completely alone with Thrawn. She still had her blaster and he was unarmed, and they had been alone during their journey. But having him in her home somehow felt different.

#####  **[ Naboo ] Investigation**

If there were any traces of corruption, they could be found on Naboo, so that was were they headed.

They found old records from when Palpatine was still the Senator for Naboo, back in Valorum’s days. As they had anticipated, many of these documents had been deleted, and were only accessible due to a safety that created backup copies only available in local storage in the Theed Palace archives.

There was money coming in from Serenno, and more money going out to Kamino. It painted a pretty damning picture.

Yet the worst of it was in some seemingly innocuous comm records. There were multiple exchanges with the Trade Federation dated just  _ before _ the blockade that had put Naboo to its knees.

The noise that left Padmé’s mouth was one of pure shock. Her face contorted in an expression of horror so deep, Thrawn had never seen the like.

“He wouldn’t… he couldn’t…”

“He did.”

Unsure if it would be well received, yet finding himself compelled to offer some form of comfort, he placed a hand on her arm. Myriads of plans and counterplans were forming in his mind, but her remained silent, leaving Padmé the time to mourn.

“Let’s go,” she said after a moment, durasteel in her voice and a blaze like molten plasma in her eyes.

#####  **[ Coruscant ] Change**

After the sorrow had come the rage. Rage like Padmé had never known before. The names of the deads rattled around her ribcage like stones, the list of injustices that went unchecked and left to fester due to the constant emergencies of the war burned like weapons at the tip of her tongue.

For the first time she understood the Jedi tenets and how Obi-Wan’s eyes always went so sad whenever Anakin lost control. She could not access the Force, but she knew that she was ready to burn her enemies to the ground. 

_ Palpatine. Traitor.  _

“He controls the army,” she told Thrawn as soon as they were back on her ship, secure in the knowledge that no one would hear them, “We need to find a way to cut him off from the GAR, or he’ll just turn it into his personal militia if we try to have him arrested.”

(That, and much worse, though she wouldn’t find out about Order 66 until much later.)

“We do not know what kind of plans he has in place or what kind of devices. But the army… it’s loyal to the Republic, is it not?”

“Yes… or at least I hope so.”

“They would have to be, if they were all in his pockets there would have been no need to build the infiltration armours so far away, instead of in one of their standard facilities. So we will have to assume that he can control them as long as he is Supreme Chancellor.”

A smile as sharp as a predator’s stretched Padmé’s lips. “So what you’re saying is that we need to make sure his codes don’t work. If we can’t stop his orders at the source, we can at least make sure they won’t be received.”

“Make it as if he is already no longer Chancellor, long before he is truly deposed.”

“I can do that. There are a few people in the GAR that trust me enough for this.”

She was thinking about Rex, whom she’d worked with before, as well as Fox and others from the Coruscant Guard. Maybe Admiral Yularen. She wasn’t sure about him yet, but he’d be a useful man to have on her side.

She knew now what she had to do. All the fear and worry of the past few days, all the impotent rage she’d accumulated since the start of the war, the still-fresh grief over the death of Mina Bonteri and the lost chances at peace, they all coalesced into steely determination.

For a moment, she let herself imagine what could have happened, had they not discovered this plot, but the sheer horror of it threatened to overwhelm her. No, they were going to fix this.

_They_. Since when had she started relying on Thrawn, counting on him to be in her corner? She looked back for a specific moment, but she could not pinpoint one. It had been a slow, inevitable slide. 

Even now, he was at her side, silent and steady.

“Thank you,” Padmé murmured, before her courage deserted her. There was so much more she wanted to tell him, but she hoped it would suffice. After all, he had a knack for reading her.

He nodded, then took one step towards her. This close, it was harder than usual not to stare. The ship’s lights cast deep shadows on his face, throwing his cheekbones into sharp relief, highlighting the blue of his skin. 

Thrawn extended a hand, as if he wanted to touch her, but then stepped back, stopping himself in an uncharacteristic display of insecurity.

“I am at your side,” he said instead, looking at her with an intensity she had not witnessed before.

It was then that she knew her feelings, confused and unformed as they were, were returned. That wasn’t Thrawn being unsure, that was him making a decision. It was not the right moment, but he would wait for her. 

That knowledge warmed her and held her steady in the following frantic hours.

*

Senator Amidala took her pod to the centre of the Senate. Silence fell immediately, despite the chaos that had enveloped the Senate until that moment.

“The former Supreme Chancellor Palpatine has been found guilty of treason,” she announced.

A ripple of shock went around the chamber, echoing further and further into a multitude of translations and transmissions, going out to the whole galaxy.

“In league with Count Dooku, he started the war to pursue his own interests. He played us all, the Republic and the CIS, used us against one another to gain power. Not only that, but he conspired to eliminate the Jedi Order, fearing their power,” she took a deep breath, steadying herself for the most outlandish of these statements, which was nonetheless true, “Because he was a Sith Lord. They tried to apprehend him, but he fought them and perished in the struggle.”

She had seen the holos from the surveillance cameras in the Chancellor’s office. It had been horrifying. The kindly mask had fallen away, and Palpatine had viciously attacked the Jedi and Guards sent to arrest him. He had a blood red lightsaber just like Darth Maul, back on Naboo, but he had also been able to shoot lightning from his fingers. Master Windu was badly burned, though on the mend.

The original plan had been to arrest him and force him to confess his crimes in front of the Senate, to be then imprisoned for life or exiled. But it had immediately become clear that he wouldn’t let himself be taken alive. Palpatine -  _ Darth Sidious  _ \- had ordered the Clones to execute Order 66. The four Coruscant Guards had immediately turned on the Jedi, creating even more chaos and severely wounding Masters Fisto and killing master Kolar.

However, one of the Clones had not responded to the order and he had been the one to shoot the Sith. It seemed, though investigations were still ongoing, that this “order 66” was supposed to trigger an organic biochip implanted in the Clones at birth, without their knowledge. Thorn, the Clone who had ended the Sith, had received a head wound the year before during a terrorist attack in Coruscant, thus damaging his chip. 

It was good that Padmé and Thrawn had made sure to block communication from the Chancellor’s office to the GAR before moving against him, or the order would have gone out to all units, causing incalculable damage, decimating the Jedi.

All Clones were currently being tested, and the chips removed. Those who wanted to stay on, would continue to serve in the GAR, and those who didn’t would be free to leave. The Clone Personhood Act that Padmé had been working on earlier with military liaisons and other like-minded Senators finally had a chance to pass, now that the Republic was no longer in the hands of a bloodthirsty tyrant who planned to use sentient beings as meat-droids to slaughter the Jedi and impose his rule on the Galaxy.

“We need to end this senseless war now. I appeal to you, to this Senate, and to the Senate of the Confederacy of Independent Systems both. Let us work together for peace. Those who truly want to leave the Republic can do so, and those misled by Dooku can come back without sanctions.”

“And who are you to decide that?” someone asked.

“She is who we choose to lead us towards peace!” Bail responded, his pod coming forward beside hers.

Of the Delegation of 2000, he had been one of the first to throw his weight behind her. While they had both believed in the Republic, they could see now how easily they had all been deceived. And they both came from systems governed by monarchies by time immemorial, and they could see it working.

Some hadn’t agreed, but many had seen in Padmé the true force for change they had been missing, and the whole Delegation had soon rallied behind her.

#####  **[Coruscant] Coronation**

Right before they left the vestibule behind the throne room, Padmé turned to regard Thrawn. Her expression was stony, but he could detect a twinkle of amusement in her eyes.

“If we’d just followed your brother and rescued Anakin like I wanted to, none of this would be necessary.”

“But would you be happy to settle for so little, my dear? Bowing your head to  _ Emperor Palpatine _ ? Letting him have the run of this galaxy you love so dearly?”

“I would not,” she declared fiercely. She looked at him for a moment longer.

“Wait,” she said, then went back to where Sabé was putting away the brushes she’d uses to finish her facepaint. She chose one, just one colour and walked back to Thrawn.

He stood still, waiting for her.

“Close your eyes,” she ordered.

She marked two vertical lines over his closed lids and cheeks, and one across his lips. She could feel his hot breath on her fingers as she drew, precise as she had been when helping Sabé or Cordé in their Queen Amidala getups. Except this was more personal. Naboo facepaint had meaning, messages it sent to allies and enemies alike, a dictionary of colours that was passed down from generations. 

However, each Queen added her own words to this language, her own signature. And this was Padmé’s, marking Thrawn’s skin clearly for everyone to see.

When he opened his eyes, Sabé was ready with a small mirror.

Thrawn observed for a long moment, needing no explanation, then turned to Padmé and leaned down to whisper, “You know I am yours.”

They straightened, separating.

The heavy doors opened in front of them, the light from the hall falling on them like an artificial dawn, and Padmé stepped forward.

#####  **Epilogue**

Coruscant’s night lights shone through the durasteel windows to Padmé’s office, glittering like the stars themselves. She looked up from her work, then down again, the words blurring together in front of her eyes. Maybe it was time to call it a day.

She locked down and left her office, two guards falling into step behind her as she made her way from the winding corridors linking the Imperial Senate to the Royal Palace.

In her apartments, she found Thrawn still at his desk.

“Padmé,” he said, looking up at her as she entered.

She couldn’t believe she’d ever found him cold or unfeeling. Even just the way he pronounced her name was full of such affection.

He stood up and stretched, clearly having lost himself in work for hours, just like she’d been doing, then walked up to her and took her face in his hands with tenderness and bent down to kiss her.

She melted into him, all her cares and worries fading away, her long day now forgotten. They stayed like that for a long moment, wrapped up in each other.

“So, what were you doing?” she asked after a moment, walking towards their bedroom to take off her robes of state and all the ornaments that came with them.

“Studying the Ruusan Reformation. The relationship between the Jedi and the Old Republic is fascinating,” he said, following her, “And the structure of the military in general. It does feel a bit like being a cadet again, memorising new military structures and histories…” he said it with delight, rather than annoyance as another might have. He loved learning, never resenting being a novice at something, but relishing the chance to improve. His curiosity seemed to be inexhaustible, and his unbiased perspective on many situations that seemed obvious to someone born and raised in the Galactic Republic were often incredibly valuable. 

She asked him a few questions about his academy days and childhood, ever curious about Thrawn’s past and place of origin.

He had travelled back to Csilla a few times since travelling back to make sure Anakin was safely returned home. Every time, Padmé had missed him fiercely, but more than that, she had burned with curiosity.

“Some day, I would like to see where you grew up…” she mused, as he methodically took down pin after pin from her hair.

His eyes met hers in the mirror, and for a moment he looked almost sad. “I do not think it would be wise.”

“Why?”

“The way to Csilla is still a secret, and we would like to keep it that way.”

“Do you not trust me?”

Thrawn frowned. “I would trust you with all the secrets of the Ascendancy. But the people who would travel with you, your guards and aides… It would be more visitors than my people have ever welcomed before.”

Padmé bit her lower lip thoughtfully, slowly undoing the long line of buttons on her robe. “What if I travelled alone, then? No one has to know.”

“Your decoys,” he said, his tone careful, measured in the way that meant he was trying to tone down his enthusiasm.

As she started planning, Padmé let herself smile, “I could arrange a trip to Naboo, visit Queen Apailana and my family, make sure to have very little planned in the way of public engagements… I’m sure Sabé will be willing to help, and my parents love her. They might be almost happier to have her home than me.” 

“As your advisor, I should really dissuade you from this plan.”

Her hair was unbound now, falling freely on her shoulders. Padmé shrugged off the velvety outer layer of her outfit, revealing a fine Onderon silk undertunic, and turned around to face Thrawn. “And as my husband?”

He looked away for a moment, but he was smiling. “I would welcome you to my home, as you have welcomed me to yours.”

Her fingers circled his wrist, feeling his pulse, strong and steady, the warmth of his skin. She kissed his hand, looking up at him, and a slow purple flush started to make its way on Thrawn’s cheeks.

*

Only those directly involved were informed of the plan. As Anakin often travelled with the Empress as part of her protection detail, it was deemed more credible to send him to Naboo as well.

They all travelled to Naboo together, Padmé already disguised as handmaiden.

She winked at Thrawn as he offered his arm to Sabé and he almost broke character to eyeroll in her direction. Almost. 

Anakin slowed down, falling into step with the group of handmaidens and Padmé.

“What did Shmi say, will she come visit?” Padmé asked.

Shmi lived in a small village in the middle of nowhere, and she maintained she liked it that way, but it was quite a trek getting to the capital.

Anakin beamed at her, “She said she’ll be in Theed tomorrow. She’s worried she’ll distract me from my job, but I told her Captain Panaka can manage without me for a day. No, I haven’t told her anything, she thinks you’re on planet,” he prevented her objection.

“I didn’t say anything!”

“But you wanted to.”

“Guilty as charged,” Padmé admitted lightly.

They talked for the rest of the trip. Although they still tried to find time for each other, they did not always manage, and it was good to be away from the pressures of the Palace, even if for a brief interval. 

The journey to Naboo was uneventful, and they landed in the private palace docking bay, where a small nondescript freighter was already waiting for Thrawn and Padmé. 

While Padmé was saying her goodbyes to the handmaidens, Anakin cornered Thrawn.

“Take care of her,” he said.

“We both know Padmé is more than capable of doing so herself,” Thrawn pointed out evenly.

Anakin scoffed, “Just humour me. It’s a long journey.”

Thrawn nodded. “I will guard her with my life.”

*

After the obligatory tour of Csaplar and the meeting with all the authorities, Thrawn took her outside the confines of the city to explore. Very few people were around, as most Chiss travelled from place to place through tunnels underneath the planet’s surface. But Thrawn had wanted to show Padmé as much as possible of the planet during the few days they would be staying.

The cold air was like a caress on his skin, the distinctive smell of snow achingly familiar and reassuring. He zipped up his jacket, leaning against the side of the snow-speeder they’d driven out in, and looked at Padmé.

“If you’re about to ask me again if I’m warm enough, do  _ not _ ,” she said in her most threatening voice. 

Thrawn huffed. “Fine. If you lose your nose to frostbite, it’s your problem.”

“You do know humans survive in the cold too, right? This is not outside the range of habitable climates for us.”

“And neither is Jakku. You are a terrifying species,” he said, with a hint of a smile in his voice, “I am very glad we’re not enemies.”

Padmé laughed, then bent down to pick up some snow, "Oh, aren’t we? I’m not sure…”

Then she threw a snowball at him.

Thrawn’s outraged expression made her laugh even more, and she made to pick up more snow. But he recovered quickly and retaliated with two quick strikes, hitting her side, starbursts of white exploding on her dark blue snowsuit.

The battle was on. 

Padmé’s cheeks were red from the cold, but her eyes were shining with uncomplicated joy and she was smiling at Thrawn with enough warmth to melt the ice caps of Csilla.


End file.
